I Can't Bear Being Away From You
by beezbogirl
Summary: Michael attempts to win Jan over as she comes to terms with her feelings for him. Set after the Valentine’s episode. Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Title: I can't Bear Being Away From You

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.

Summary: Michael attempts to win Jan over as she comes to terms with her feelings for him. Set after the Valentine's episode. Spoilers.

As soon as the elevator doors closed Michael's stunned expression morphed into a full blown grin. He watched the numbers in the elevator descend quickly, taking him further and further away from Jan. His heart was fluttering and all he could think was "I knew it." When he got out onto the bustling streets of the city, the Fiddler On the Roof billboard caught his eye and he suddenly got the urge to click his heels together and jump up and down.

After watching the elevator doors closed, Jan glared at the cameraman gawking at her. She felt a hot blush rush onto her cheeks and she wasn't sure if it was from the tingling memory of Michael's lips touching her own or from the embarrassment that she had once again gotten caught falling for Michael on camera. She walked quickly into her office, shut the door, and pulled the blinds.

Suddenly, the memory of events that took place over the past couple of hours came flooding back to him. Michael had only been in New York since about one o' clock and so much had changed. He almost saw Conan O'Brien, he had visited his favorite New York pizza place, and he single-handedly saved the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. Well, technically Craig had single-handedly saved the Scranton branch by completely disregarding the financial presentation for his own branch. Michael had a feeling that the presentation that he had made on his Mac probably won some hearts though. Most importantly though, Jan had kissed him. Again. Jan KISSED him. He was so shocked at the feel of her hand grasping his shoulder and the light smell of her perfume that wafted into his nostrils. When she placed her lips against his he couldn't breathe. His heart stopped. He had felt like a complete loser for making a comment about Jan in front of the guys. In all honesty, he had meant to defend her. He couldn't stand when people made comments about her. He just got carried away. Again. He was honorable and apologetic to her and she must have realized what a sweet guy he was. She saw through his tough exterior. Michael grinned. As he stood there on the sidewalk, only feet away from Times Square, the heart of civilization, he realized that he needed to take drastic measures to win Jan over for good. This wasn't any ordinary day, this was Valentine's day. Suddenly, as if the Valentine's day gods were smiling down upon him he caught sight of red and blue neon lettering. Duane Reade, the pharmacy that could solve all his Valentine's day problems. He darted across the street and stopped dead in his tracks as a flash of yellow taxi cab nearly made him road kill. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the camera, "The yellow ones don't stop…Buddy the Elf."

Jan flopped down into the large leather chair behind her desk . She kicked off her heels and rested her head on the back of the chair. She brought a single hand up to rub a throbbing temple. She couldn't believe that she had kissed Michael in corporate offices, let alone had kissed him again. After the first incident, it was easy to blame her actions on alcohol. Although, she had to admit that every time she denied to Michael that the night had meant anything she felt her heart break and her nose grow just a little bit bigger. All her life she had tried so hard to make something out of her life. She realized that her dreams of moving to the city and becoming someone important only left her lonely. She knows that people think she's a bitch. Somehow along the way she had lost sight of herself. When she looks into the mirror now, she just sees an old lonely woman. As infuriating as Michael is, he had started to chip away at her icy exterior. She found herself making more and more excuses to call him or to go visit the Scranton branch. She knew that the women's seminar wasn't necessary, although corporate did think it was a good idea. Michael's devotion to her and to that night was endearing. Of course she didn't like the fact that he had blurted out details of the night to her bosses, but the fact that it kept coming up made it harder and harder to stay away. She remembered the pure joy she felt that night when Michael grabbed her in a bear hug and leaned in to peck her on the lips. It wasn't exactly professional, but at the time all she could think about was how good it felt to be hugged and to smile. Her ex-husband had barely looked at her the last few months of their marriage. She had told Michael that night about the fact that she had wanted kids and Gould didn't, but she left out some important details like the fact that her husband had at least two other girlfriends that she knew of and the fact that they hadn't slept together in over a year. She was beginning to feel that she had tried so hard not to become someone like Angela, Pam, Phyllis, Kelly, and Meredith that she had rendered herself almost inhuman.

Jan stared at the fake tree in the corner of her office. She couldn't believe she had been so dumb to get all nervous as Michael was leaving. "Happy Valentine's day? What were you thinking?" She pushed Michael away over and over again and like a sad puppy he wouldn't give up. He was making it really hard not to like him. Jan couldn't wait to get out of the office and soak in the tub all night long. Her head throbbed relentlessly.

Michael scoured the nearly empty Valentine's shelves in Duane Reade. He grabbed a large heart-shaped box of chocolates and was headed towards the checkout line when he saw a large red teddy bear holding a heart. He suddenly knew that if he was going to win Jan's heart, this bear would do the trick.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a knock on Jan's office door. She quickly took her legs off of her desk and straightened up her suit. A quick run of her hand through her hair and she was once again a professional business woman. She opened the door to a nerdy messenger guy holding a ginormous red teddy bear. She looked pretty shocked, and the messenger smiled at the look on her face.

"A delivery for you ma'am."

"Thank you." She grabbed the teddy bear and closed her office door. She knew right away that the bear had to be from Michael. She cringed imagining herself carrying this dopey stuffed animal on the streets of New York. Why couldn't she be like most women and have received a beautiful bouquet of flowers? There was a note taped to the heart the bear was holding.

Michael had spent a good twenty minutes trying to figure out what to write on the letter to Jan. Finally, he decided to keep it simple and mysterious.

"Jan, be my valentine. Please meet me at Red Lobster in Times Square at 6:00pm. Yours Truly, Your secret admirer."

Jan turned the note over. It was written on a Sbarro's receipt. She groaned in frustration knowing damn well that her not-so-secret admirer was Michael Scott. She also groaned because she knew that it was going to be difficult to just blow him off, no matter how much she realized that she should. She glanced at the clock. Forty-five minutes.

Michael sat down at a table. He had sprayed himself with a cologne sample that he found in Sephora. He had definitely had some time to kill before dinner and decided to take advantage of his surroundings.. His hair was slicked back with some gel. A rose lay in front of him on the table. He was nervous. He had put it all on the line with Jan, and even though she had kissed he knew that Jan was a tough cookie. This night could quite possibly end up being one of the worst nights in his life.

At 6:13pm Michael started sweating. The waiter kept coming by to see if he was ready to order, and every time he had to shoo him away.

At 6:27 Michael gathered up his coat. He felt utterly defeated. He stared at the bubbles in his coke wondering for a brief moment if maybe she hadn't gotten the bear.

He didn't notice her approach the table, but when the chair across from him scraped against the floor he felt his heart tighten and for the second time that day she had taken his breath away. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He quickly stood up and helped her out of her coat. His fingertips brushed against the back of her neck and he knew that he was in trouble. He had it bad for Jan Levinson.

She looked shy for a minute, gathering her words. She reached across the table and grabbed onto his hand that was fidgeting with the rose. Her face turns very serious and he gets ready to flinch at her words.

"Thanks for the bear."

"It's a bear holding a heart… no woman can resist!" He giggles nervously.

Just then the waiter comes around asking them if they'd like to order drinks, perhaps a bottle of wine. Jan quickly cuts him off.

"No wine, a diet coke is fine." As the waiter walks away, Michael looks at her slightly puzzled at her apparent dislike of alcoholic beverages.

"No excuses this time. This is me. It's consensual. Yes, I will be your Valentine."

She reaches into her bag and pulls out a tiny white bear with a red bow on its neck. She places it on the table in front of them. Smiling as if he had just won a Starbucks' expresso machine, Michael picks up the bear and reads the note attached.

"I can't bear being away from you."


End file.
